I'll admit it, even we're guilty of not mentioning Sam Hauser enough this offseason.
I'll admit it. I've been guilty of not talking enough about Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser this offseason.
But, I don't think I'm the only one. He seems to be the forgotten man.
Everyone has talked about how Jayson Tatum will look in his first full year back since tearing his Achilles. We've talked about the potential for Payton Pritchard to take the next step in the absence of Jaylen Brown. We've discussed what Paul George can bring to the group. And how the team will handle the quartet of big men.
Others have wondered about Derrick White and if his shooting will bounce back in this campaign. Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman have gotten lots of air time.
But no one is talking about Hauser. And they should be. Because he's important to what the C's do.
About Hauser
Still just 28 years old, Hauser is a five-year veteran of the Celtics who was an integral part of the 2023-24 NBA Finals team. He averaged a career-high 9.2 ppg last season, but his overall shooting numbers were down.
He shot 39.3 percent from 3-point range, below his career average of 41.2, and he shot 55.7 percent from 2-point range, below his career norm of 59.6. He also played the most minutes of his career as well at 24.7.
He played his college basketball at both Marquette and Virginia.
Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser (30) drives against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesAbout his role in 2026-27
We've spent a lot of time talking about how the Celtics are going to play this season and wondering if they will be three-point dependent or more balanced than they were a year ago.
With Pritchard, Tatum, White, George and Hauser, they sure seem to be trending toward being three-point dependent again. And if that's the case, they'll need Hauser to shoot more efficiently than he did a season ago.
This team can't afford prolonged droughts from the perimeter, which is what ultimately led to their demise in round one of the Eastern Conference playoffs last season. Hauser has the ability to help prevent that from happening.
Celtics notebook
With about a month to go until training camp, we recently took a look at where the C's stack up in the Eastern Conference following an offseason's worth of activity.
The conclusion? Boston went 56-26 last season and earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. That seems like it will be harder to do this year, as the East has gotten much better across the board.
